If you like playoff hockey, Sunday’s Game 1 between the Utah Mammoth and the Vegas Golden Knights had everything for you. A historic goal, lots of physicality, and a comeback that resulted in a win for the home team. The Mammoth certainly had some good showings, but once again, lack of experience came back to haunt them as the Knights flexed how to turn it up at the right time.
It wasn’t necessarily a bad game for the Mammoth, but there are certainly things to improve on. Getting that first playoff game out of the way for a lot of the players was important, and the team did that in an effective way. Here are some takeaways from the Mammoth’s 4-2 loss in Game 1 of round one.
Logan Cooley Makes History…Again
Dylan Guenther cannot claim that he scored the first playoff goal in franchise history. Yes, there will be at least one first goal that won’t belong to him. However, his linemate can get that accomplishment. Logan Cooley put his name in the history books on Sunday and not just once.
Late in the first period, Nate Schmidt (former Knight) found Cooley with a nice pass right near the faceoff dot. Cooley shot it into the back of the net for the first-ever Mammoth playoff goal. It gave the Mammoth an early lead, capitalizing on the good hockey they had been playing the whole period.
Welcome to the Stanley Cup Playoffs, Logan Cooley! pic.twitter.com/rAdc10G5P2
— x – Utah Mammoth (@utahmammoth) April 20, 2026
That wasn’t the only thing Cooley made history for. Back in the franchise’s very first game, the forward assisted on Guenther’s goal, the very first in franchise history. With him scoring the goal tonight, Cooley became only the sixth player in NHL history to record a point on a new franchise’s first regular-season goal and postseason goal.
It wasn’t just the offense that Cooley brought to the table on Sunday. He brought a new level of intensity that no one had ever seen from him before. Cooley was going after players in scrums, egging guys on, and wearing the biggest smile while doing so.
“There’s gonna be guys that grab you and try to bring you into the fight, and you’ve got to make sure you’re sticking out for each other, getting each other’s backs,” Cooley said. “We did a good job of that, handling it the right way. We’ve got to make sure we’re controlling our energy, too.”
That physicality and antagonizing trait led to him and Nic Dowd getting into a tussle. That resulted in Dowd saying…some intense threats to Cooley.
Postgame, Nic Dowd declined to clarify or comment on what he said to Cooley. #TusksUp #ForgedInGold https://t.co/SrZFyGjguU
— Chase Beardsley (@ChaseBeardsley_) April 20, 2026
Yet Cooley kept standing up for his teammates in what was the most physical game of his career. It adds up. Cooley wants to win, and he’s very passionate about that. He’s a competitor, and he’ll do anything it takes to allow his team to win hockey games.
“He’s one of the biggest competitors I know,” Lawson Crouse said. “He’s done that all season long, ever since I’ve known him and played with him. He’s a battler and definitely a guy that you want to follow when he’s playing like that. It’s encouraging and energizing for the group.”
Head coach André Tourigny doesn’t hand out appraisals like candy. You have to earn it. Cooley has been on the other side of Tourigny’s comments before. On Sunday, his play in his very first playoff game earned him a very positive comment.
“He was on a mission,” Tourigny said. “He was really good. His line played a solid game. You guys know how Cools is, how competitive he is, and I think he just put it on display.”
We’ll see if this extremely physical Cooley continues to stick around. He can’t be doing stuff like what he did to Dowd on one of the last faceoffs. Either way, Cooley and his line with Guenther and Kailer Yamamoto was by far the best line on Sunday, and it wasn’t even close.
Needing More From the Top Guys
Speaking of lines, the performance of the top line of Crouse, Clayton Keller, and Nick Schmaltz was a big reason why the Mammoth lost on Sunday. Here’s why.
There are only three players on the Mammoth who were on the ice for all three Knights goals with Karel Vejmelka in net. Those three players were Crouse, Keller, and Schmaltz, the latter two ending the night with a minus-three in the plus-minus category. The line was not great defensively, with Crouse ending the night as a minus player as well.
Offensively, it was just as bad. The line looked invisible. Schmaltz managed three shots, but only the one at the end really had any chance of getting by Carter Hart. Keller’s two shots came in the same time span in the third period. At least Crouse got an assist on Cooley’s goal. That’s where the good pretty much ends.
You’re not going to pin a loss solely on one line. It’s not like the bottom six were perfect. However, these are your top players who are paid to score consistently. Instead, they looked invisible in the biggest game of the season so far.
“I feel like we can be better,” Crouse said. “We’re competitive guys. We want to do whatever we can to help this team win, just like everyone in our locker room. We’re gonna try and step up.”
I mentioned in the series preview that Keller would be a huge factor in this series, especially as a guy who thrived in the playoff bubble. The forward had 88 points this season, and to only have two shots around the same timeframe as each other, that’s not the standard. Not to mention, you need to have players see that your captain is doing well. It’s motivation at its finest.
Tourigny knows that the line didn’t do much of anything on Sunday but defended the trio. Especially with Crouse mentioning how the line needs to step up, there’s no need to pour gasoline on a fire. It’s trust that is needed, faith that those guys will rethink and work on their play leading up to Game 2.
“They worked really hard,” Tourigny said. “I think Crouser was really physical. I think they tried to do a lot. I don’t think there was a lot happened, but I think their effort was there.”
Crouse did have nine hits, which led the Mammoth and was super important. However, at the end of the day, it’s simple. You need more offense from some of your highest-paid players.
Playoff Jitters Out of the Way
We all knew coming into this one that there would be some sort of playoff jitters due to the fact that so many guys had never played in a playoff game, or if they had, it was a long time ago. In the first two periods, it didn’t really show. In the third, it became more obvious.
After they allowed the Knights to score three straight goals and come back with the lead, Vejmelka looked a little shaky. There is no chance that any of the loss should be blamed on him. Outside of losing a little bit of confidence after the third goal, he was solid, rocking a .900 save percentage.
The lack of experience affected the bottom six as well. Yes, the top line was by far the most disappointing part of Sunday’s loss, but the depth was a close second. A lot of their job entails winning faceoffs and being physical. That did not happen on Sunday. The Mammoth only won 44.8% of their faceoffs. Additionally, the Knights’ bottom six had 22 hits. The Mammoth’s bottom six only had 11.
That’s a big problem. Especially in a series that will continue getting more and more physical as time goes on, the Mammoth need players to battle and hit back.
The penalty kill needs to be better as well. This was a top Knights power play coming into this series, and the Mammoth knew that. Instead, Mark Stone’s power play goal kicked off three unanswered goals scored by the Knights.
“There are a lot of lessons to be had tonight,” Schmidt said. “Our effort was there. There were some momentum swings. That’s the playoffs, and they scored a power play goal to get it even there early in the third. I think it tilted the ice a little bit for them. I liked our response throughout the last little part of the game. There are things to build on for Game 2.”
It’s only Game 1. There’s still time to fix whatever needs to be fixed. However, don’t mistake that for a break. If the Mammoth lose Game 2, it becomes a slippery slope as then the tbe two losses away from the end of their season.
Being calm about Game 1 is ok. The Mammoth actually played really well in the first and the second period. They just need to show they can play like that through the full 60.
Don’t forget, this is Tourigny’s first time coaching in the playoffs as well. With Game 1 out of the way, he knows what to expect in Game 2. Speed is the name of the game, and if you look at the best chances from the Mammoth on Sunday, it was their speed that got them those looks.
“We know Vegas is a really good team,” Tourigny said. “It was a hard-fought game. It was physical, it was intense. Every inch was contested. I’m proud of our prep, I like the way we came out, and I think the guys were pretty composed. We’re in control…We know when we exploit our speed, that’s a good factor for us.”
Getting mad, sad, or even disappointed with Game 1’s loss shouldn’t be the move for the Mammoth locker room. What they did in the first two periods, despite most of the players on the team being new to postseason hockey, was remarkable. It provides something to build off on.
Now, the Mammoth get the usual off day to prepare themselves for an important Game 2. If they can figure out how to use their speed and get the top line going, they’re in good shape to send the series to Utah all tied up at one.
“There’s no reason for us to be down on ourselves right now,” Crouse said. “We got another game and in a day and a half or two days, whatever it is, so just clean it up and get ready for the next one.”
The Mammoth will play the Knights in Game 2 on Tuesday night. The Knights currently lead the series 1-0.
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